BUILDINDIA 2005, the bi-annual international construction-related trade fair and conference, organised by the Builders Association of India (BAI), was held from October 13 to 16 in Mumbai. The theme was ‘Indian Construction Industry: Challenges Ahead.’

The fair saw widespread participation from construction and allied segments and government bodies which highlighted the opportunities and issues related to this industry. The event aimed at providing a kaleidoscopic view of the challenges lying ahead for a builder or contractor in its endeavor to equip them with the knowledge to adopt creative concepts to meet the challenges in the changing global economic scenario.

HDFC Brings ‘Priceless Homes’ To The Fore

HDFC Ltd., India’s premier housing finance institution, organized a special property show from October 7 to 9, in Pune, titled ‘Priceless Homes’, which showcased some of the finest homes in and around the city. It was inaugurated by Keki Mistry, Managing Director.

The idea behind holding the event was to provide a platform where customers could meet over 40 developers showcasing more than 200 projects and choose a home for themselves.About 8000 units of 1/2/3 BHK apartments/independent houses/penthouses priced between Rs 7 lakhs and Rs 100 lakhs-plus were on display. The sizes varied from 450 sq. ft up to 3000 sq. ft, catering to customers looking for modest to deluxe properties. Besides providing all amenities, some of these properties also offered facilities such as warranties on homes, environment-friendly/green homes etc. There are a number of projects from the growing suburbs of Aundh Annex, Kharadi, Mundhwa, Vadgaon Sheri, Warje, Wakad, Katraj, Baner, Bavdhan, Wanowarie, NIBM Road, Kondhwa, Hadapsar, Sinhagad Road and Bhosari.
The highlights of the HDFC offer during the exhibition were special interest rates and concessional fees, spot approvals of home loans, lucky draws on registration, special lucky draw on booking property at the exhibition, free property counseling services on housing, and legal and technical guidance.

Housing Policy To Be Ready By November-end

The National Habitat and Housing Policy, incorporating changes in the National Housing Policy, 1998 and inputs from all stakeholders, will be ready by November end, the Minister of State for Urban Employment and Poverty Alleviation, Kumari Selja, told the Conference on Housing and Urban Development Opportunities in North Indian States, organized by FICCI in New Delhi in October. Final touches were being given to the policy framework.

Speaking about the National Urban Renewal Mission, she said the NURM, meant to bring about integrated and focused development of cities and towns, would provide for Rs 5,500 crores in the first year alone to states to meet the gaps in housing and urban infrastructure. This is likely to be stepped up to over Rs 10,000 crores a year.

In her opinion, for boosting the housing stock, the state governments need to adopt a pro-active reform-based agenda including repeal of ULCRA, changes in the Rent Control Act and reduction in stamp duty. She also underlined the need for creating greenfield towns and cities with public-private partnership.

Furniture Fair’s Index Of Success

Index 2005, an international furniture fair organized by Universal Expositions Ltd. was held at MMRDA Exhibition grounds, Bandra-Kurla Complex at Mumbai, from 12 to 16 October. Index 2005 was held concurrently with Inter-Furn – International Tradefair on Furniture Hardware, Intermediates and Wood-Working Machinery, and BuildIndia, a trade fair on building industry and construction material.

Spread across an area of over 30,000 square metres, Index 2005 witnessed participation of more than 200 exhibitors from around the world, while Inter-Furn had more than a hundred participating exhibitors.

All those who deal in furniture and associated products/ intermediaries besides mass merchandisers from all over India, Europe, the Southeast Asian region and the Gulf participated in these fairs.

Index Fairs 2005 had the presence of more than 70 exhibitors from Italy. Participation by Federlegno Arredo, Milan, with 15 companies showcasing Italian furniture and lighting was one of the special features of the fair. Federlegno Arredo is the Federation of the Furniture Associations in Italy and it is one of the largest bodies representing the furniture industry internationally.

Top international brands like Moroso, Zoffoli, Matteograssi and fabrics from Paula Lenti, were on display apart from the presence of design consortia like Milan 42 showing the artifacts, furniture and lighting products.

Malaysia and China were represented by over 45 companies apart from individual participation from other parts of the world such as Pakistan, Taiwan and Thailand.
Over 10 companies from Spain represented by Valencia Chamber of Commerce Industry and Shipping exhibited their products.

The Indian exhibitor list included all the leading players in the market, with a particularly impressive lineup of kitchen and appliance manufacturers including Kanu Hacker, Faber, Kaff, Indoline, Kitchen Grace along with several major brands from office and residential furniture segment.

Strategies Needed For Quake-prone India

India lies in the earthquake zone and strategies should be chalked out to lessen the hazards out of such strikes, said Sanjay Bhatia, Director of Information and State Project Officer, UNDP Disaster Management. This was a statement made at the seminar, which had “Standards for a Safer World” as the theme. It was held in Lucknow in mid-October, organized by the Bureau of Indian on the occasion of the World Standards Day.

Bhatia, who was the chief guest, stressed the need for creating mass awareness about the tandards. He pointed out that there were laws and standards for meeting the challenges of calamities but the people should come forward for implementation of these provisions. In his view, a system of effective communication during disasters, appropriate design for buildings and emergency preparedness constitute the need of the hour.

About the devastation in Kutch, Gujarat, in 2002 and in Pakistan last month, the assembled specialists felt that had the construction yardsticks been followed, the consequences wouldn’t have been so tragic. Rahul Kumar, BIS head in Lucknow,
observed that mankind, even though excelling in science and technology, is yet to find solutions to nature’s fury. Hence standards play a key role in making the world safer.
Meanwhile, at a meeting in New Delhi on the same subject, L Mansingh, Secretary in the Union Consumer Affairs Secretary, affirmed that experts at the BIS have prepared a national building code, which can help minimize disasters arising out of natural calamities such as quake hits. In Bhopal, S.N. Dagga, BHEL general manager, told a gathering on the World Standards Day “man is not only breaking the chain of nature but also spoiling natural resources. With right planning and accurate direction, the socie ty can be saved.”

MCHI’s Property 2005 Reports Good Business

Property 2005, the seventh real estate and housing finance exhibition organized by the Maharashtra Chamber of Housing Industry (MCHI) in Mumbai from October 12-16, received a very good response.

This year’s show was co-organised by ICICI Bank and Honkong and Sanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC).

On this occasion, the developers booked around 200 flats with further sales expected in the coming days. The housing finance institutions also reported good business with sanctioned home loans estimated at between Rs 400 crores and Rs 450 crores.

Commenting at the close of the five-day event, Dharmesh Jain, Convenor and Chairman, Exhibitions, MCHI, said, “We have seen that customers prefer to buy properties at our exhibitions as they have a wider choice and from leading real estate developers all under one roof which saves them valuable time and effort.”